Nanosuspensions in Nanobiomedicine

The tremendous success in developing new nanomaterials and fostering technological innovation arises from the focus on interdisciplinary research and collaboration between physical and medical scientists. The concept of nano-medicine is one of the most important and exciting ideas ever generated by the applications of nanoscience. One of the most challenging tasks in the pharmaceutical industry is the formulation of poorly soluble drugs. The implication of conventional techniques for improving the solubility has gained limited success. Nanoparticles facilitate formulation with improved solubility and efficacy mainly through nanosuspension approach. Techniques such as media milling, high-pressure homogenization, and use of microemulsion have been used for production of nanosuspensions for a novel delivery system. Moreover, they are manoeuvred to patient-acceptable dosage forms like tablets, capsules, and lyophilized powder products. Nanosuspension technology has also been studied for active and passive targeted drug delivery systems, which the chapter highlights on various formulational perspectives and applications as a biomedicine delivery system.

Nanotechnology in the Food Industry

This chapter addresses the potential application of nanotechnology in various areas of the food industry. Nanotechnology is having an impact on several aspects of the food industry, from product development to packaging processes. Nanotechnology is capable of solving the very complex set of engineering and scientific challenges in the food processing industries. This chapter focuses on exploring the role of nanotechnology in enhancing food stability at the various stages of processing. Research has highlighted the prospective role of nanotechnology use in the food sector, including nanoencapsulation, nanopackaging, nanoemulsions, nanonutraceuticals, and nanoadditives. Industries are developing nanomaterials that will make a difference not only in the taste of food but also in food safety and the health benefits that food delivers. While proposed applications of nanotechnologies are wide and varied, developments are met with some caution as progress may be stifled by lack of governance and potential risks.

Convergence of Nanotechnology and Microbiology

The convergence of nanotechnology with microbiology is a nifty interdisciplinary research area that could amplify the limits of technology, enhance global health through formation of different drugs that can be effective against different infectious diseases, and for treatment of drinking water to kill the pathogens and make it safe for public use. Bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, and plants have been successfully used for the formation of nanoparticles of silver, gold, zinc, etc. As the microorganisms, especially bacteria, are becoming resistant to the commonly used antibiotics, an alternative antimicrobial agent that can be effective against the antibiotic-resistant bacteria is needed. In the present chapter, the author highlights the relationship between these two mighty disciplines. The chapter deals with many aspects like antimicrobial activity of nanoparticles, formation of nanoparticles using microorganisms, etc. The green synthesis of nanoparticles is emerging as a new field of science; hence, it is discussed in detail.

Novel Synthesis of 4nm Anatase Nanoparticles at Room Temperature Obtained from TiO2 Nanotube Structures by Anodizing Ti

The scope of the chapter is showing novel experimental findings on preparing anatase TiO2 nanoparticles, first anodizing titanium into an organic media for obtaining TiO2 nanotubes, and these used as a photo catalytic active electrode in treating water polluted with organic contaminants. The substrates were grit blasted in order to obtain mechanical fixation of the generated nanotubular TiO2 structure. This was successfully achieved without diminishment of the nanotubes order and with a self-leveling of the outer surface. A new phenomenon is investigated consisting in the process of oxidation of the nanotubes in water after anodizing. Along this process, methyl orange added to the aqueous solution was discolored as part of the redox reaction involved. The final state of the modified layer was composed of conglomerates of crystalline TiO2 nanoparticles, around 4 nm in size, consisting of anatase. This was obtained under room conditions.

Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon-based nanotechnology has been rapidly developing, with a particular interest in the bio-application of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a scaffold in tissue engineering. It is essential that the materials used in scaffold fabrication are compatible with cells, as well as with the biological milieu. Many synthetic polymers have been used for tissue engineering so far; however, many lack the necessary mechanical strength and may not be easily functionalized, in contrast to CNTs, which have shown very attractive features as a scaffold for cell culture system. In spite of many attractive features, the toxicity of CNTs is a prime concern. The potential applications of CNTs seem countless, although few have reached a marketable status so far and there is need of more studies on CNTs biocompatibility issues. This chapter aims to revisit the basics of CNTs with their bio-applications including their use as a scaffold in cell culture systems.

Nanomaterials, Novel Preparation Routes, and Characterizations

The important aspect of nanotechnology is the remarkable size dependant physico-chemical properties of nanomaterials that have led to the development of synthesis protocols for synthesizing nanomaterials over a range of sizes, shapes, and chemical compositions. This chapter describes the various aspects of nanotechnology: its dimensions and manipulation of matter with primary focus on inorganic materials. Detailed accounts of various methods lying within top-down and bottom-up synthesis approaches are discussed, like Chemical Vapour Condensation (CVC), arc discharge, hydrogen plasma-metal reaction, and laser pyrolysis in the vapour phase, microemulsion, hydrothermal, sol-gel, sonochemical taking place in the liquid phase, and ball milling carried out in the solid phase. The chapter also presents a brief account of the various characterization techniques used for the identification of the nanomaterials: X-ray diffraction, UV-visible spectroscopy, and electron microscopy (e.g. Transmission Electron Microscopy [TEM], Scanning Electron Microscopy [SEM], Atomic Force Microscopy [AFM]).

Applications of Nanotechnology in Cancer

This chapter examines the importance of nanotechnology in cancer prevention, cure, and diagnosis. This chapter deals with the applications of nanomedicine in cancer and various strategies to target cancer cells by using nanotechnology such as gold nanoparticles, liposomes, nanodots, nanorods, etc. Nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary area with potential applications in fighting many diseases including cancer. Conventional drugs have poor cell specificity, solubility, and high toxicity. The continued development of cancer nanotechnology holds the promise for personalized oncology. For accurate and self-confirming cancer diagnosis, it is essential to combine dual-mode and multi-mode imaging functionalities within one nanoparticle system. Nanoparticles improve the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs and prolong the half-life of drugs. Disadvantages of nanotechnology include the potential for mass poisoning. Understanding how nano-materials affect live cell functions, controlling such effects, and using them for disease therapeutics are now the principal aims and most challenging aspects of nanobiotechnology and nanomedicine.

A Review of Various Nanostructures to Enhance the Efficiency of Solar-Photon-Conversions

The problem of dwindling energy can be attributed to the rapidly increasing worldwide energy demand, leading to an urgent need for alternative energy-harvesting technologies to sustain the economic growth by maintaining our appetite for energy. Among them, solar-energy-harvesting is most promising, and the huge demand for clean, cost-effective, and cost-efficient energy can be met by solar energy. The large-scale solar energy utilization has not become practical because of the high cost and inadequate efficiencies of the current solar-energy-conversions. Nanotechnology offers tools to develop cost-effective and cost-efficient technologies for solar-energy conversions. Nanostructures, such as nanowires, nanopillars, nanodomes, nanorods, quatumdots, nanoparticles, etc., facilitate photon absorption, electron transport, and electron collection properties of the solar-energy-conversion devices. This review specifically summarizes the contribution of the nanotechnology to photovoltaics, dye-sensitive solar cells, quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells, and solar hydrogen production devices.

Nanotechnology, Metal Nanoparticles, and Biomedical Applications of Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology has emerged as an important field of modern scientific research due to its diverse range of applications in the area of electronics, material sciences, biomedical engineering, and medicines at nano levels such as healthcare, cosmetics, food and feed, environmental health, optics, biomedical sciences, chemical industries, drug-gene delivery, energy science, optoelectronics, catalysis, reprography, single electron transistors, light emitters, nonlinear optical devices, and photoelectrochemical applications and other applications. Due to these immense applications of nanotechnology in biomedical science, it has became possible to design the pharmaceuticals in such a way that they could directly treat diseased cells like cancer and make microscopic repairs in hard-to-operate-on areas of the body. The nanomachines have been designed to clean up toxins or oil spills, recycle all garbage, eliminate landfills, etc. The chapter summarizes the present and future applications of nanotechnology for human welfare but needs further study in catalysis, optical devices, sensor technology, cancer treatment, and drug delivery systems.

Nanomechanical Characterization of Cement-Based Materials

Nanoindentation technique is used to assess the mechanical properties of materials at nano-level. A very small tip (usually diamond) produces indents at the surface of the material to be tested. A load vs. deflection curve is generated and is used to study the elastic properties of materials. Generally, it is used for obtaining the hardness and Young's modulus of materials at nano-meter scale. Currently, the method to evaluate the mechanical properties by nanoindentation is restricted to homogeneous materials. Cement-based materials are heterogeneous in nature. Therefore, nanoindentation study of cement-based materials is critical and requires several important steps, which need to be performed accurately. This chapter provides a review of the theory of nanoindentation, instruments being used for nanoindentation, sample preparation techniques, indentation strategy, and determination of nanomechanical properties and data analysis for cement-based materials.